Ever heard of 'Stingy Jack'?

Jack O’Lantern sounds Irish, right?

How ‘bout “the practice of decorating jack-o’-lanterns originated in Ireland, where large turnips and potatoes served as early canvasses. In fact, the name, jack-o’-lantern, comes from an Irish folktale about a man named Stingy Jack. Irish immigrants brought the tradition to America, home of the pumpkin, and it became an integral part of Halloween festivities…”

So who was Jack? …According to Irish myth, “a man nicknamed “Stingy Jack” invited the devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn’t want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. Once the devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the devil from changing back into his original form. Jack eventually freed the devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. The next year, Jack again tricked the devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree’s bark so that the devil could not come down until the devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years.

Soon after, Jack died. As the legend goes, God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as “Jack of the Lantern,” and then, simply “Jack O’Lantern.” ~history.com

I’d have to be drinking a whole lot to ask the devil not to bother me for only a certain number of years!! And I sure hope he is this nice and this cooperative if he exists!! 😈

Back to reality… I don’t know about yours, but the annual excitement of falling leaves was a big deal in the neighborhood I grew up in. We went from jumping and diving into mountains of leaves, to stuffing clothes with them. Thanks to Jack, our Halloween dummies never went headless (well… there was that one kid who thought it was funny to hide them or knock them off)!

It’s great to reminisce, a lot of people do when they visit us at DishFunctional “Dishfun”! Carve out some time to head on over for the Fall sale going on this weekend. Dishfun is stuffed with all kinds of unique home décor, books, jewelry, and more- at low prices. Hours are 11am to 5pm Tuesday thru Sunday. 126 S. Franklin St, West Chester, PA